Standing
by DragonKatGal
Summary: *Complete* Semi-sequel to 'Phone Call' but can be read as a stand alone fic. Mushy fluffy fic. Buffy gets her life back in order after Tabula Rasa. Spike and Buffy friendship.
1. Chapter One

STANDING  
  
SETTINGS: Season Six, set after Tabula Rosa, (Giles is gone, and can we just pretend that Spike and Buffy NEVER kissed, not even after the musical) DISCLAIMER: Not mine, yadda yadda, don't sue. NOTES: Kind of a companion piece to 'Phone call' but some things don't exactly follow on. Same characters Daniel and Emma.  
  
ONWARDS:  
  
STANDING: CHAPTER ONE  
  
Some nights were just unbearable for Buffy Summers. Tonight was no exception.  
  
Giles had left, Willow and Tara were fighting and Spike was still being obnoxious about the issue of 'them'. Patrolling wasn't getting any easier either.  
  
Giles had left so that Buffy would be more likely to find and stand on her own two feet rather than using him as a support post, but all she knew was that once again, someone she loved had left her.  
  
She walked slowly, not really wanting to go home too early. Dawn, Willow and Tara had been suffocating her since they had discovered the truth about where she had been in death. Willow was feeling guilty, and rightly so. Dawn was just miserable about it, and Tara was being quietly pissed off at Willow.  
  
She spun quickly as a crunch of leaves came from behind her, her stake at the ready. She groaned as she saw the blond vampire standing behind her, a smug grin on his face.  
  
"Go away," she said testily, beginning to walk away from him. He caught up with her easily.  
  
"Now, why would I wanna do that pet?" he asked cheekily, bringing a cigarette to his lips and taking a quick drag. "Figured you'd want some company an all, seeing as Watcher boy skipped town."  
  
"Don't," she warned as she felt a flicker of pain travel through her at the mention of her Watcher.  
  
Spike felt a pain of guilt rush through him as he saw the hurt hidden in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry.I shouldn't have said that. Look, why don'tcha take the rest of the night off? I'll finish off here," he offered.  
  
She sighed, tempted to take him up on the offer. "No, it's fine. I should be the one to do it. As much as I hate to admit it, Giles was right. I was getting to do what was meant to be my duty," she said, hating that Giles had been completely justified in leaving her.  
  
Spike nodded, silently agreeing with Buffy's Watcher. "That doesn't mean that you can't have company though. That's always what was different about you luv, you had people there with you. No other Slayer had that."  
  
"I bet no other Slayer had their Watchers up and leave on them either," Buffy said bitterly.  
  
Spike hesitated before telling her what she least wanted to hear. "He did the right thing."  
  
Buffy sighed and stopped walking, leaning casually against a headstone. "I know.I get that, really I do.it's just."  
  
"You feel like another man's let you down," Spike finished.  
  
She stared at him in shock, wondering when Spike had become so intuitive. Then again, he'd always been able to read her.  
  
"How did-"  
  
"Don't look so shocked pet. S'not that hard to work out. Between your dad and sodding Peaches plus your nancy boy solider, I'm not bloody surprised," he explained.  
  
Buffy shifted over, making room for Spike to lean beside her. She rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying the comfort of the leather.  
  
"You love him," he said, stating it, not questing.  
  
She went to deny it, but stopped herself.  
  
"It's complicated.I just.since I got back, there's been two people that I could really count on, that actually got that I wasn't dealing. You and Giles. You were both.you didn't want to push me or pressure me, and.you were there when I needed you," she said softly.  
  
Spike smiled a little and touched her shoulder without the awkwardness that he had displayed the first time he had tried to sympathise with her.  
  
"Did you tell him? About where you really were? I mean before belting out that tune?" he asked.  
  
"No, and I feel completely stupid cos I know he would have helped me. So much. I just.he was so happy to have me back that I just couldn't tell him the truth. Then, when he was going off at Willow.he was angry that she had brought me back when he thought I'd been in hell. How much worse would it have been if he had known the truth? He would have burst a gasket. I just couldn't.I didn't want to hurt him, but.I think I hurt him more by not telling him."  
  
Tears slipped down her cheeks and she wiped them away hastily, hating that she was showing Spike her weaknesses and vulnerability.  
  
"I'm sure he understood," Spike said comfortingly.  
  
She nodded and stood up abruptly. "He always did.even if I didn't understand. Plus, he hasn't been wrong before so.if I want him back here, I'm gonna have to get my act together."  
  
"You do that pet. And if you want company, you know where I'm at."  
  
She smiled gratefully and thanked him.  
  
"If there's anything you need, or if you just wanna talk.well, I got willing ears and a pretty comfy shoulder," he said with a grin.  
  
"Thank you.honestly, you've been incredibly these last few months. But.if I get too dependent and clingy, then you have to tell me, okay? I couldn't take it if you left as well," she admitted.  
  
He gave an almost imperceptible nod and tried to ignore the tight nervousness in his chest.  
  
"I'm just glad you're working all this out. And.who knows.maybe Watcher boy'll come back when he sees that you just needed a good kick up the bum."  
  
She hit his softly, trying to hide her grin. "Jerk," she said, grateful that he had broken up the seriousness at the exact moment she needed it most.  
  
He grabbed his arm in mock pain, growling softly. "Hey! Unarmed vampire here."  
  
"Sorry oh impotent one," she said, laughing easily.  
  
He grabbed her before she had a chance to run, pulling her roughly to face him.  
  
"You are one step away," he threatened, remembering their conversation from over two years ago when he had first had the chip implanted.  
  
Buffy grinned and started laughing. "Oh, that brings back some memories."  
  
Spike laughed and began to sing softly.  
  
"Did you ever know that you're my hero.you're everything I would like to-"  
  
"Shut up!" she cried, trying to stop herself from bursting into a fit of giggles.  
  
He stopped and stare at her as she regained her composure, her cheeks bright red from her laughter, her eyes dancing wildly. A gentle smile crept onto Spike's face. She looked at him inquisitively.  
  
"What?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing."  
  
"No, what is it? You've got this tiny smile on your face."  
  
He hesitated and slowly brought a hand up to her face, tracing the outline of her lips with gentle fingertips.  
  
"It's nice to hear you laughing," he said.  
  
She smiled up at him, grateful that he had made her feel carefree, even if it was only for a moment.  
  
"It's nice to be able to laugh again," she admitted. She smiled sheepishly and kissed his cheek. "Maybe you were right about that kick up the bum."  
  
~*~  
  
Giles stepped off the plane, tired and desperately wishing for a hot shower. He sighed heavily, hating the way he had left things between himself and Buffy. Everything seemed so up in the air. She had been hurt and incredibly mad at him, but.he had felt he needed to leave. For her.  
  
It had been hard to leave when Buffy hadn't even been there, but.taking off now when she needed him the most had been excruciating. Plus, causing her extra pain by leaving because of her hadn't been easy. He knew how fragile she was, especially when it came to her relationship with men.  
  
But, he thought with a sigh, it was for her own good. He just hoped that she would eventually she that.  
  
He scanned the airport terminal and smiled softly when he saw a familiar face waving him over. He walked quickly, unable to stop a tired smile spreading over his face.  
  
"What on earth are you doing here Daniel?" he asked.  
  
Daniel Taylor smiled and gave Giles a quick but manly hug.  
  
"Thought you could use a friendly face when you got back," Daniel explained. "Plus I figured you'd need a hand with your luggage."  
  
Giles nodded gratefully and pointed towards the baggage claim area.  
  
"How did you know what time I was getting in?" Giles asked.  
  
"Well, I actually called to speak to you, just to see how you were going. But, the young woman you were staying with said you'd already left. I asked her what time you got in and.eventually, she told me," Daniel said.  
  
Giles looked at him inquisitively. "Eventually?"  
  
Daniel smiled and put a hand on Giles' shoulder, steering him through the crowds towards the revolving baggage pick-up area.  
  
"She was incredibly protective of you Rupert. It wouldn't surprise me if she had run a police check on me," he said laughing.  
  
Giles smiled at the thought of Buffy checking up on Daniel so thoroughly. But, he also knew that he shouldn't be surprised if Buffy went through with it either.  
  
"She was taught never to be too careful," Giles said, thinking back to when he had first begun to train her.  
  
"She sounded upset," he said cautiously.  
  
Daniel had only known Giles for a little over a week when he had first returned to England, so their friendship was still tentative at best. Daniel hadn't been told all of the details about why Giles had left so quickly to go back to California. All he had known was that it was to do with a young woman named Buffy Summers, someone that Giles fervently denied that he was in love with. Of course, Daniel knew far better.  
  
Giles hesitated before answering, trying to pre-think exactly how to best express his relationship with Buffy. He hadn't explained why he was back in England, or why he had gone to Sunnydale in such a hurry, and he knew how it must have looked. Particularly with him staying with a woman who was less than half his age.  
  
"We didn't leave on very good terms," Giles said, keeping it purposely vague.  
  
"Who is she to you?" Daniel asked, almost immediately regretting the question.  
  
"She's.it's.it's difficult to explain," Giles said, as he finally spotted his luggage on the carousel. He began walking away, hoping Daniel would leave the question alone.  
  
"I mean.are you two related or what?" Daniel asked. He figured that the question was already said, so he may as well get an answer for it.  
  
Giles stopped and gave him one of his famous frustrated glares which would usually stop any of the Scoobies from questioning further. Daniel, however, had other plans.  
  
"Come on Rupert, it'll be therapeutic for you to get this out," he said as they walked through a set of automatic doors and out into an open car park.  
  
Giles sighed, realising that Daniel wasn't going to drop the matter.  
  
"She was.I thought she was dead. We all did. But.something happened and.and she came back to me. I mean.she came back to us. But.she wasn't the same and I.I couldn't bear it," he said sadly.  
  
"So you just left?" Daniel asked, trying to keep his voice sounding non judgemental. He obviously didn't know the entire story, and so had no right to be overly incredulous at the thought of Giles leaving a young woman who had sounded on the brink of a nervous breakdown when he had spoken to her on the phone.  
  
"I had to," Giles defended himself. "She.if I had stayed there, she would have given up. I was standing in her way and.and truthfully it hurt me to see her like that."  
  
Daniel looked towards his new friend, trying to understand what the man in front of him was going through, but he could find no comparison to this man's pain.  
  
"How do you know she's going to do better without you?" he asked gently. "Why are you so sure that by leaving you're going to help her?"  
  
"She was too dependant on me. Before.before she came back she was the strongest woman I've ever known. If she wanted to be strong again, I couldn't be there," he explained sadly.  
  
Daniel nodded, still having no comprehension whatsoever of Giles' decision. He couldn't the logic behind it, and he wondered if Giles understood it either.  
  
"Could you have at least warned her?" he asked. "Maybe just told her that she needed to try a little harder?"  
  
"You don't know her like I do," Giles said, almost angrily.  
  
Daniel stopped walked and stared at Giles firmly.  
  
"Are you sure you really know her? I don't doubt that you knew her before whatever happened to her, but.now. She's a completely different person by the sounds of it. Maybe she needed someone guiding her. Someone watching her and giving her a nudge in the right direction."  
  
Giles head snapped towards Daniel at the mention of watching. By the look in Daniel's eyes, Giles could tell it had been purely coincidental, but it had definitely struck a chord with him.  
  
"You think I did the wrong thing?" Giles asked softly.  
  
"I think maybe you should have thought more carefully about it. Moving to a different country is.maybe to her it seems like you're running away from her. As though you can't stand to be near her," Daniel said.  
  
"That's not it at all," Giles protested loudly.  
  
"Are you certain about that?" 


	2. Chapter Two

STANDING: CHAPTER TWO  
  
The end credits rolled and Dawn and Buffy simultaneously wiped tears from their eyes. Buffy grinned at her sister and pulled her into a hug.  
  
"Bed?" Buffy asked.  
  
Dawn nodded, not even bothering to protest. For nearly two weeks now Buffy had been back to how she had been before everything with Glory had gone down, and Dawn didn't want to push her luck.  
  
"We still on for tomorrow?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss it for the world," Dawn said excitedly.  
  
Buffy smiled at her sisters' enthusiasm and stood up with a groan.  
  
"Bed time for both of us I think," Buffy said, helping Dawn to her feet.  
  
"You aren't patrolling tonight?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy wrinkled her nose and sighed quietly. "One hour nap, then patrol," she explained. "And can I just say thank god that the gang don't want to go to the beach any earlier than twelve! I so couldn't get up early even if I tried."  
  
They walked up the stairs, both taking them two at a time. Buffy stopped at Dawn's door and smiled as her sister went into the bedroom.  
  
"G'night," Dawn said tiredly. "Don't let the vampires bite."  
  
Buffy laughed and gave her sister a light hit on the arm.  
  
"Spike or Xander?"  
  
Dawn grinned. "Both!"  
  
"Typical," Buffy commented, rolling her eyes. "Get some sleep, okay? I'll get you up at about 10:30 so we can be ready."  
  
"10:30," Dawn whined. "That's so early! It won't take an hour an a half to get ready."  
  
"Eleven then," Buffy compromised.  
  
Dawn bounced happily and quickly bade her sister goodnight, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Buffy yawned and headed to her own bedroom, setting her alarm for 2am so she could do a quick sweep. Her body was exhausted after pulling an eight hour shift at her new job. She smiled at the thought of her job. She had searched through the paper looking for something perfect, but, all she had found that she might possibly enjoy was a job working at the Bronze.  
  
She had applied and done two interviews and she had been hired. The pay was good, the hours were convenient, she got Saturdays and Sunday's off and it meant that she was able to get the rest of the gang a discount on their drinks and cover charge.  
  
She flipped gracelessly onto her bed and closed her eyes, sleep claiming her almost immediately.  
  
~*~  
  
Dawn woke up to Buffy calling her name from downstairs. How Buffy could be so energetic on a Saturday was completely beyond Dawn, but she had just learnt to go with it. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to work her sister out.  
  
She rolled over in her bed, opening her eyes and trying to adjust to the light. She groaned as she saw the grey overcast sky outside.  
  
Not bothering to change out of her pyjama's, she stumbled downstairs to where Buffy had two plates of toast on the island counter with a cup of juice for herself and a mug of hot chocolate for Dawn.  
  
"We aren't still going are we?" Dawn asked, taking a slice of her toast and leaning against the bench.  
  
"The weather's not THAT horrible Dawn," Buffy said. "Besides, the waters always warmer on cloudy days."  
  
"Well," Dawn said thoughtfully, "seeing as the sun isn't out.couldn't we invite Spike?"  
  
Buffy hesitated, thinking carefully about her sisters request.  
  
"Uh.I guess so," Buffy said hesitantly. "We can get Xander to stop by his place on the way there."  
  
"Cool," Dawn said happily, pushing herself away from the counter towards the fridge to get more juice.  
  
Buffy smiled and perched herself on top of the bench, taking a bite of her toast. She couldn't believe that her sister was still trying to match-make Buffy and Spike. Her attempts had not gone unnoticed by Spike or Buffy, but Buffy just wasn't ready to begin a relationship. Especially not one that would be one that would have to be constantly explained and defended.  
  
Spike was content just being her friend, and after only just getting her back, he didn't want to push her into a relationship that she didn't want.  
  
Dawn looked at her sister, noticing the faraway look in her eyes. She had seen that look so many times in the past few months since Buffy had been back, but this one was distinctly different.  
  
Dawn smiled and waved her hand in front of Buffy's face. Buffy snapped out of her daze and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."  
  
"Thinking about Spike in his swimming costume?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy threw the crust of her toast at her sister. "Ew, no."  
  
"Oh come on," Dawn said, knowingly. "You must have thought about what's under those sexy tight shirts of his."  
  
"Dawn!" Buffy exclaimed, shocked by her sisters words.  
  
"Just admit it. I know you must have that about at."  
  
"Maybe once," Buffy admitted. "But it was a completely idle thought."  
  
"Once?" Dawn asked, a sly grin on her face. She loved teasing Buffy about Spike, even though she had almost given up on getting the two of them together.  
  
Buffy jumped down from the bench and grabbed her sister, tickling her mercilessly. Dawn tried to break free, but Buffy was about twenty times stronger than she was. Not to mention, incredibly annoyed. Never a good combination.  
  
Dawn struggled, her cheeks aching from laughter, her sides become sore from her sisters finger digging into her.  
  
"Alright, stop!" Dawn cried through her laughter.  
  
"You gonna stop teasing?" Buffy asked, still tickling her.  
  
"Yes!" Dawn exclaimed, panting breathlessly.  
  
Buffy stopped and stepped back. Dawn's laughing subsided and she rubbed her sides, sore but not hurt.  
  
"Mean," Dawn said, holding back a smile.  
  
"Hey you deserved everything you got," Buffy said, grinning at her young sister.  
  
Dawn just smiled sweetly and walked towards the door. "Yeah, but I'm not the one perving on Spike." With that, she dashed out of the kitchen before Buffy even had a chance to stop her.  
  
Buffy could only laugh at her sisters' antis, and ponder more on her thoughts.  
  
She hadn't been thinking about Spike at all when Dawn had caught her mid- thought, though what Dawn had said about Spike being sexy hadn't been wrong. It wasn't what had been occupying her thoughts though.  
  
She had been thinking about her Watcher, something she had been doing a lot lately. Since he had left, she'd been making a conscious effort not to rely too heavily on her friends, or on Spike, though it was a struggle to find a balanced between ignoring them and not relying on them too much.  
  
Spike had been a great help with patrolling and had somehow managed to not piss her off too often. Plus, it turned out he wasn't too bad to hang around with, especially since he had stopped confessing his love for her.  
  
Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya had all chipped in on the research when they were needed, but of late, that hadn't been very often, hence the Scooby outing to the beach.  
  
Buffy smiled to herself, wondering what Giles would say if he knew how much things had picked up since he had left. She had thought about him daily, wondering what it was like where he was, trying to imagine what he was doing from day to day.  
  
She had begun writing so many letters to him, though none of them ever got posted. She knew that she needed to talk to him.needed to apologise to him. At first, her letters had been about how much he had hurt her, but as the days went by, the letters had slowly changed.  
  
The latest letters had been completely accusation free, the only ones that Buffy had even considered sending to him. She hadn't told anyone about the letters to Giles, not even Dawn, though why she hadn't told anyone was beyond her. It wasn't as though she was doing something that the others wouldn't approve of.  
  
But, Buffy thought, it would be too hard to explain why she never sent them to him.  
  
Dawn came back into the kitchen, startling Buffy out of her thoughts once more. Dawn grinned, but didn't comment though Buffy could tell what her sister was thinking.  
  
"You ready?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yup," Dawn replied, finishing off the juice that she had left half finished due to the impromptu tickle fight from earlier.  
  
"You have your towel?" Buffy asked, remembering their last ill-fated trip to the beach. It had begun pouring with rain and Dawn had been without a towel. That had been just before Dracula had showed up in town. 'Before Dawn was truly here,' Buffy thought.  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes but opened her shoulder bag so Buffy could see the towel for herself. Outside, a car horn honked impatiently.  
  
"We're good to go then?" Buffy asked.  
  
Dawn nodded and went to head to the front door. "Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly before Buffy could lock the door behind them.  
  
Buffy just sighed and held the door open for Dawn who ran up the stairs, calling out that she would only be a second. She came back down the stairs, her new sunglasses adorning her face. Buffy grinned and ushered her sister out the door.  
  
"You haven't forgotten anything else?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Good. Let's go," Buffy said, mock exasperation tinging her voice.  
  
They hurried to Xander's car, both of them getting into the back.  
  
"Hey Xand," Buffy greeted. "Where's Anya?"  
  
"She's gone to pick up Willow and Tara," Xander explained.  
  
"In what? I didn't know she had a car," Dawn commented.  
  
"Oh, she doesn't." Xander answered vaguely.  
  
Dawn and Buffy shared a suspicious look between themselves and Buffy finally asked when the curiosity got too much for her.  
  
"Care to explain?"  
  
"Nope," Xander said, grinning at Buffy in the rear vision mirror. "You'll see when we get there."  
  
"Okay," Buffy replied hesitantly.  
  
They drove, no one speaking, though Dawn was singing quietly to the song playing on the radio. Dawn suddenly shoved Buffy in the ribs and whispered "Spike" in her ear.  
  
Buffy nodded, having forgotten about Dawn's earlier request.  
  
"Hey Xand, you mind if we swing by Spike's place?" Buffy asked.  
  
Xander nearly veered off the road at the question. He swung around to give her a quick look.  
  
"Are you trying to make me crash?" he asked, half-serious. He turned back to look at the road before he ran into anything.  
  
She glared at the back of his head. "Oh come on, it's not like you guys weren't working together when I wasn't around," she said, marvelling at how casually she had mentioned her death and the four months she had been gone.  
  
Xander sighed, knowing that his friend was right. "Is there something going on there that I should know about?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"No," she replied honestly. "He's a friend, and he knows that I think that. Dawn wanted him to come, and.I don't see why he shouldn't."  
  
Xander hesitated but eventually pulled onto the road that would take them down to Restfield cemetery where Spike's crypt was.  
  
Dawn bounced happily and leant forward to kiss Xander's cheek. "Thanks Xander!"  
  
He scowled in response but couldn't help a small grin break onto his face. It had been a while since Dawn had smiled, and if Buffy wanted Spike there, then he was only too happy to give her anything she wanted after she had confessed to being in heaven, rather than in hell.  
  
Xander pulled into the parking lot and watched as Buffy hopped out of the car. "I'll be back in a second, kay?"  
  
Dawn nodded, happy that her sister had even agreed to ask Spike to their Scooby day out.  
  
Buffy walked quickly to the crypt and knocked on the door before entering. She saw Spike standing, walking towards her.  
  
He nodded his greeting and sat down, waiting for her to join him.  
  
"What brings you here pet?" he asked.  
  
She sat down next to him and smiled.  
  
"What are you doing today?" she asked.  
  
He looked at her warily, not certain where the conversation would be heading.  
  
"Sitting in here, watching telly," he replied. "Nothing even remotely evil, sad to say. Why?"  
  
"Well, me and the gang are heading out to the beach. You wanna come with?" she asked.  
  
He looked at her as though she had gone completely mad. "Right, surf, sand, sun. Three things that I don't particularly like."  
  
She glared at him and tilted her head the side, rolling her eyes. "First of all, who doesn't like the sand and the surf. And second of all, the sun's not even out today. Come on.Dawn won't let me hear the end of it if I can't convince you to come."  
  
He raised his eyebrows. "So Dawn asked you to ask me? What, you didn't wanna invite me?"  
  
She shot him a look and stood up. "Look, you wanna come or not?"  
  
He hesitated for a moment and finally stood up. "I'll grab my bloody towel."  
  
Buffy grinned, hardly able to believe she had convinced him to come with them to the beach. 


	3. Chapter Three

STANDING: CHAPTER THREE  
  
Daniel knocked on Giles' door, waiting patiently for it to be answered. He leant against the wall, trying to work out how the two of them had become such good friends in the space of two weeks.  
  
Daniel still hadn't been able to get any more information out of Giles in regards to his 'friend' in California, and from the looks of things, he hadn't heard from her since he had left.  
  
The door opened and he grinned at his friend. "You ready or what?"  
  
Giles nodded reluctantly and stepped out of his apartment, closing and locking the door behind him, carefully pocketing his keys.  
  
"My wife has someone she wants you to meet," Daniel warned, not expecting Giles to stop short in the hallway.  
  
Daniel turned and saw Giles' look. "Oh, come on. It'd be good for you to get out and actually meet some more people Rupert. If you don't like her, you'll never have to see her again, I swear."  
  
Giles just glared at him, but started walking again, albeit a little slower.  
  
"I don't suppose you could uh.ask her not to try and set me up with anyone else?" Giles asked politely as they stepped into the elevator.  
  
Daniel looked at him, wondering why he was so hesitant about meeting new people. After you got through the rough exterior, Rupert was extremely kind, unswervingly loyal and sometimes downright funny. Emma, Daniel's wife, had told him that Rupert was 'extremely good looking and should try and settle down soon.'  
  
Rupert, however, wanted none of that.  
  
"I'll tell her. But, I still don't see why you don't want to go and meet people," Daniel said. Of course, he had a vague idea of why Rupert was so reluctant. He was fairly certain it was due to a young and gorgeous blonde Californian girl by the name of Buffy Summers.  
  
"I don't object to.to meeting new people," Giles said defensively. "I just don't like being.'set up' with people."  
  
Daniel rolled his eyes and patted Rupert's back. "You may not mind being set up with this woman. Emma says she's a beauty."  
  
It was Giles' turn to roll his eyes. "And no doubt your wife has told this woman god knows what about me."  
  
Daniel grinned as they stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the building.  
  
"Probably. No doubt Joanna now thinks you wear white robes and can walk on water," Daniel said. Emma thought the world of Rupert ever since she had met him. She also thought that Rupert was a big softie at heart.  
  
"So, where are we meeting them?" Giles asked.  
  
Daniel pointed to a small café across the street. "Just in there."  
  
Giles nodded, breathed deeply and walked inside. He spotted Emma sitting with an attractive woman with short brown hair. Emma waved Rupert and her husband over to the table and the two men sat down, Daniel sliding in next to Emma in the snug benches, leaving Giles to sit with Joanna.  
  
"Jo, this is our neighbour, Rupert Giles," Emma said. Without even looking at Emma, Giles could tell she was smiling widely. "Rupert, this is my good friend Joanna Green."  
  
Giles and Joanna shook hands. "It's just Jo," she said, blushing a little.  
  
He nodded and gave her a small smile. "It's nice to meet you Jo."  
  
Emma smiled, delighted that everything seemed to be going extremely well. She only wanted to make Rupert smile a little, though she knew that it as bordering on impossible. Sure, he smiled those little tight smiles, but she wanted to see his eyes dancing with laughter. She just didn't know how to get that to happen.  
  
And, if things between Rupert and Jo didn't work out, she didn't know what she was going to do. She was running out of single female friends and colleagues, and Jo was the last.  
  
She looked at Daniel who looked just as hopeful as they watched Jo and Rupert bluff their way through small talk.  
  
~*~  
  
Buffy smiled at the sight of her younger sister being chased across the sand by a wet Spike. He was wearing an old faded pair of jeans without a t- shirt, mainly due to the fact that he didn't own anything to go swimming in. Probably because he had never thought he would ever be going to the beach.  
  
Xander sat beside her, still waiting for Anya, Willow and Tara to arrive. He grinned knowing how ecstatic Buffy would be when they got there.  
  
Dawn squealed and hit Spike a little as he picked her up easily, tossing her over his shoulder. He raced towards the water, ignoring her protests and please for him to let her down.  
  
He threw her (carefully) into the water and quickly raced out of her reach so she couldn't pull him under. She came up, spluttering for air and glaring at Spike.  
  
"No fair! I didn't wanna get my hair wet," she cried.  
  
Spike shrugged and kept backing away from her. He suddenly grinned and stayed in the one spot and let Dawn pounce on him. He pretended to fall and went under water.  
  
Dawn giggled at her revenge and waited for him to come up. She waited for several seconds before she started getting worried. "Spike?"  
  
She tried to see him under the water, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Spike?" she called a little louder.  
  
Dawn looked up at Buffy who came running at the look of panic on her sisters face.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"It's Spike. He.he.he went under, and he hasn't come up yet! I can't find him!" Dawn exclaimed. "What if.what if he can't swim? What if he's drowned?"  
  
Buffy grinned and almost laughed. She brought her hand up to her mouth to cover her smile.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" her sister demanded, still panicking. "Spike could be drowning and you're laughing!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Buffy apologised, a half laugh coming from her lips. "It's just.Spike's a vampire. He doesn't breath."  
  
Dawn looked confused for a second and then was grabbed around the waist and dragged under the water.  
  
Both Spike and Dawn emerged, their hair sticking to their faces. Dawn glared at Spike and hit him hard across the chest. He rubbed it, surprised that she had managed to hurt him, even just a little.  
  
"Jerk!" she cried.  
  
She struggled to get out of the water and ran back to her towel, humiliated and trying to get over her state of panic.  
  
She watched as Spike and Buffy spoke. She had to admit, the whole thing had almost been worth it to see her sister smiling and laughing again. It was amazing to see the changes that had taken place in her sister ever since Giles had left.  
  
Whatever he had said to her had definitely worked to get her to get her act together. Buffy had a paying job and was hanging out more and more with the gang and with Dawn as well. Spike and Buffy seemed to have developed a really close friendship, and even though it wasn't the romance that Dawn and Spike had hoped for, Spike was more than pleased with what Buffy was willing to offer him.  
  
"How long do you reckon she'll stay mad?" Spike asked.  
  
Buffy grinned and shot a look towards her sister. She pretended to be engrossed with a magazine that had been stashed in her backpack.  
  
"She once went without talking to me for three weeks," Buffy said, smiling. "But.if you apologise.maybe a week and a half."  
  
Spike smirked and ran his hands through his wet hair, shaking his head and making his hair stand slightly on end. Buffy looked out at the water and saw a small buoy floating in the water about five hundred meters out.  
  
She grinned and threw off the open t-shirt that had been covering her two piece costume.  
  
"Race you to that orange buoy thingy?" she asked playfully.  
  
Spike looked out and saw what she was talking about. He grinned back. "You're on Slayer."  
  
"Alright. On your marks. Get set. Go!" she yelled pushing him down into the water so she could get a slight head start.  
  
"Oi!" she called, quickly regaining his balance and setting after her.  
  
Xander and Dawn watched in amusement, grinning at one another. Dawn stood up to get closer to watch and cheer them on. Xander stood up, just to stop his legs from getting pins and needles.  
  
"Come on Buffy!" Dawn yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth to project her voice further.  
  
Spike and Buffy were swimming hard. He hadn't swum in years, but his vampiric strength was allowing him to keep up with her. He had to admit that she was in incredible shape, even after being dead for three months.  
  
Buffy reached the floating buoy first, tapped it and turned back, the swimming made easier now that they were going with the current instead of against it. Spike reached the buoy a moment later and quickly turned, taking after her.  
  
For a moment, they were tied, both of them aware that the other was next to them. Somehow, Buffy seemed to latch on to one of the waves, body-surfing with it almost to the edge of the sand. Spike struggled to catch the next one in order to keep up, but couldn't quite get the hang of swimming with the wave.  
  
Buffy stood up and moved out of the water, grinning at Dawn and Xander over her victory.  
  
Dawn gave her a hug, congratulating her. Spike finally reached the sand and lay there, panting pathetically. Buffy gave him a small kick, not even hurting him in the slightest.  
  
"Big faker," she accused.  
  
He rolled over and rolled his eyes into the back of his head. Dawn laughed at his strange behaviour, unaccustomed to seeing the vampire so care-free.  
  
He grinned and looked up, seeing Dawn upside down.  
  
"Forgive me Nibs?" he asked, giving a fake pout.  
  
She laughed and kicked sand into his hair. He yelped in surprise and stood up, glaring at her.  
  
"Hey! No fair!"  
  
Dawn went to run, but as she turned, she found herself face-to-face with a grinning Willow.  
  
"Will!" she cried, wrapping her arms around the red-headed witch.  
  
"Ah! You're wet Dawnie," Willow complained, but returned the hug anyway.  
  
Buffy grinned at her friend and greeted Tara and Anya. "So.what's with the lateness guys? Xander was being all secretive."  
  
Anya and Tara were wearing grins to match Willow and Xander's and Anya held up something for Buffy to take. She took a set of keys, confusion still on her face.  
  
"It's a gift," Anya said plainly, as though she was stating the obvious.  
  
"Uh huh. A set of keys," Buffy said. She looked towards Spike who just shrugged.  
  
"Beats the hell outta me," he commented.  
  
Xander went to make a comment about vamps and hell, but Willow's look told him to leave it in the air.  
  
"It's from Giles. He uh.he knew that you don't exactly have.well, he said transportation, but he could have just said that you don't have a car, but.being Giles, he had to be all British and stuffy so.well, he said it a lot better over the phone, but.you get the idea," Willow rambled.  
  
Buffy shook her head, still confused by what little information she had.  
  
Anya saw the look of confusion and pointed up to where Xander's car was parked. Next to it was Giles' red BMW. Buffy's eyes went wide.  
  
"He's giving me his car?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Xander nodded wistfully. "Watcher's pet," he teased fondly.  
  
She grinned, recognising the phrase. "Wow."  
  
Dawn jumped excitedly. "Oh my gosh. We have a BMW! Oh, I can't wait to tell Janice!"  
  
Spike grinned at the young girls enthusiasm, but he was still watching Buffy's reaction. He was resigned to the fact that he and Buffy could only ever be friends, and, the truth be told, he was fine with that. He had asked her when Giles had first left if she loved Giles, and.her answer had been extremely vague, as though she didn't know the answer herself. More and more, he had been wondering about how much she actually did love Giles.  
  
Maybe it was time to give the Watcher a kick up the arse as well.  
  
Buffy finally grinned, the shock leaving her face. "Cool," she said.  
  
The group smiled and began walking up to where everyone had already put their belongings down. For now, it was time for fun. 


	4. Chapter Four

STANDING: CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Buffy lay curled in a ball on the sofa, Spike sitting in the one seated, his bare feet resting on the coffee table. Dawn lay asleep, leaning her head on Buffy's shoulder.  
  
"You have fun today pet?" Spike asked.  
  
Buffy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I did. Plus.that whole car thing really put a nice spin on the day. I can't say I was even expecting that."  
  
Spike grinned. "That was awful nice of him," Spike said, thankful that she had brought up the topic that he had wanted to speak about.  
  
"You spoken to Rupert lately?" he asked casually.  
  
She shook her head. "Nah, not yet. I uh.I've written him dozens of letters though," she admitted. "But I uh.I haven't sent any of them."  
  
"Oh? Why not?" he asked, genuinely curious.  
  
Buffy grinned sheepishly. "Well, the uh.the first few, I would never send anyone. There was far too much name-calling. I kinda threw them away anyway."  
  
Spike grinned, thankful that he hadn't been on the receiving end of the mean streak that ran through the Slayer when she was hurt.  
  
"And the others?"  
  
"Well.they're a lot better. Just telling him I miss him and.and that I'm doing okay now. I mean.things still aren't fantastic but.I'm finally on my feet. My own feet. Without a leaning post. And.surprisingly it feels really good," she said.  
  
He smiled and nodded at her, thankful that she was doing a lot better lately. She still wouldn't discuss the finer points of her experience with Spike, the emotions a little too raw to be able to express in words what she had felt there, but he was slowly becoming her confidante and friend.  
  
"You should call him," Spike suggested.  
  
Buffy hesitated. She had been considering calling him so many times over the last two weeks. Every time something went wrong, and especially when things had gone right, she had wanted to talk to him and tell him the news, but she had refrained. She thought that it would be better for her to leave him to his own life, for him to make the first call.  
  
"You're gonna regret not calling him," he said simply.  
  
She nodded, knowing his was right. She looked at him curiously.  
  
"I uh.I wanna see him," she said.  
  
He looked at her, a scarred eyebrow raised. "You want him back here?"  
  
"No, I.I want to go see him. In England," she said.  
  
She had been considering that option all day at the beach, and had been bursting with the news. Him giving her the car made the wanting so much more.  
  
"Oh. Uh.you got a passport?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. "I just.I want to surprise him you know. But.I don't even know how to get to where he lives," she said.  
  
"Well, London's not hard to get around. You'd just have to get a bus from Heathrow airport and go to Bath. From there, you're pretty much unable to get lost," he said.  
  
She nodded, hoping that she would remember all of this.  
  
"The thing is," she started slowly, "I.I need someone to take care of Dawn."  
  
He looked up and caught her eyes. "Til the end of the world," he promised.  
  
She smiled at his words, remembering that night. Things had changed so much since then.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered.  
  
She fiddled idly with Dawn's hair and shifted her position, waking Dawn up from her light slumber. "Bed time for you kiddo," she whispered.  
  
Dawn nodded and stumbled off the couch. She gave a tired grin to her sister and gave her a hug. "Have fun," she whispered quietly.  
  
She straightened up and mumbled goodnight to both Spike and Buffy and left the two blondes to sit and talk.  
  
"I kinda.I wanna go tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?" he asked, surprise in his voice.  
  
She nodded. "I've already got the tickets. And.I just need to say goodbye to the gang. But I was wondering.could I maybe get a lift to LA with you tonight?"  
  
He hesitated but nodded, seeing as how he knew that she would either go with him or go with one of the others. And, with his newly acquired motorcycle, he would be able to get her there a lot faster.  
  
"Yeah sure pet. Should I even ask if you're packed?"  
  
She grinned and pointed to a medium sized suitcase by the end of the couch. He hadn't even noticed it until she had pointed it out.  
  
"You really are organised Slayer. I'll give you that."  
  
She grinned, taking it as a compliment. "I've already told Dawn. We did the whole goodbye thing earlier when you went to grab your bike from your place."  
  
Spike nodded. "Uh.well, I'd be more than happy to give you a ride. I'm guessing you wanna go say your farewells to the gang."  
  
Buffy nodded and looked upstairs to where Tara and Willow were sleeping. "Hopefully I won't be disturbing anything up there," Buffy said with a grin.  
  
Spike grinned back and listened carefully. "Nah, they're not doing anything. Just chatting nice and quiet like."  
  
Buffy grinned, not even wanting to know how good vampire hearing truly was. "Thanks."  
  
"Are you gonna tell him?" he asked.  
  
She looked at him, a little unsure of what he was talking about.  
  
"Tell who what?" she asked.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna tell your Watcher that you're in love with him?"  
  
Buffy hesitated and nodded. "I have to. Even if he doesn't love me.I have to tell him."  
  
He grinned at the absurd thought of her Watcher not loving her back. "Somehow I think you're in with a fighting chance luv."  
  
She smiled her thanks and he nodded, watching as she walked up the stairs. Spike, like Dawn, would always have trouble keeping up with her. But, he was definitely up to the challenge.  
  
~*~  
  
Thirty hours later  
  
Buffy looked at the address on the small slip of paper in her hands. She had written it down at least five times in five different places so that she wouldn't be able to lose it. One of those places had been on her ankle above her anklet socks in case she got mugged of all her possessions.  
  
She checked her watch once again. She had been checking it constantly, her body not having had a chance to adjust to the new time zone, which meant that she was completely tired when it was only just seven in the evening for Giles.  
  
She breathed in deeply and knocked on the door.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She hadn't counted on him not being home. She frowned a little and tried again, calling his name as she knocked.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She frowned even more and went to turn away, about to give up completely, when a door across the hallway opened and a man stepped out. He gave her a strange look, wondering why she was standing in front of Rupert's doorway.  
  
"Are you right?" he asked politely.  
  
His question startled her a little. She had expected him to just ignore her, but at least now she had an in.  
  
"Um, sort of," she replied. "Do you know Rupert Giles?"  
  
"Yeah, you could say that. He's uh.in my apartment, having tea with my wife and I," he explained.  
  
Buffy's face lit up when she realised her Watcher was in the vicinity.  
  
"Really? Uh.I don't suppose you could.send him out," she suggested.  
  
Daniel looked at her curiously. The accent wasn't British, in fact he could tell se was American. He did a double take as he recognised her as the girl from Rupert's photograph album.  
  
"You're Buffy Summers, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
Buffy looked a little taken aback. "Wow. Good guess," she said.  
  
He laughed slightly and held out his hand. "My name's Daniel Taylor. We spoke on the phone a few weeks ago," he reminded her.  
  
She shook his hand, remembering their conversation. She grimaced as she remembered how incredibly not nice she'd been to him that day. "Oh god. I'm really sorry. I'm usually not that rude, honest, I was just."  
  
"Having a crappy day?" he offered.  
  
She nodded, grateful for his understanding. "To say the least."  
  
He smiled and pointed towards the apartment, telling her she was welcome to go in. She hesitated for just a moment before stepping inside.  
  
"Daniel?" she heard a female voice call out.  
  
A woman in her early thirties appeared in the hallway and was about to give a startled yelp on seeing a strange young woman in her hallway.  
  
From behind Buffy, Daniel held up a finger to his mouth. Emma walked up to them, her face demanding an explanation.  
  
"Emma, this is Buffy Summers," Daniel whispered.  
  
The look of recognition on Emma's face was almost priceless. She took a quick look at Buffy and quickly gave her a tight hug. Buffy hugged her back, a little startled by what was going on.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Emma said, whispering frantically. "It's just.he's said so much about you, and.I've been dying to meet you."  
  
"He uh.he mentioned that he'd made some friends here," Buffy said, keeping her voice at a whisper also.  
  
"Oh, this is such a lovely surprise," Emma said. "It is a surprise, isn't it? I mean, he would have said something if he had known you were coming. I doubt he would have been able to sit still for more than a minute if he had known."  
  
Buffy smiled, Emma's rambling reminding her so much of Willow. "No, he didn't know. I was uh.hoping to surprise him."  
  
Emma smiled knowingly. "I think something can be arranged. Come, just wait in the doorway, I'll do a proper introduction for you. Buffy's short for Elizabeth, yes?"  
  
Buffy nodded, and let herself be dragged to the doorway. She didn't dare to peek around for fear of just rushing towards Giles and throwing herself into his arms.  
  
Daniel walked into the room, Emma closely following him.  
  
"What was all the whispering about?" she heard Giles ask.  
  
Her resolve almost flew out the window when she heard that he truly was there.  
  
"Oh, there's uh.there's someone we want you to meet," Emma said.  
  
Giles voice dropped to a whisper, but Buffy was so very used to listening to his whisper and she picked up on every word.  
  
"Emma, I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't want you meddling in my love life, or lack of same," he whispered.  
  
"Oh Rupert, you'll love this one," she said.  
  
Giles just groaned and sat himself down on the chair, his back facing the doorway. She looked towards Daniel who nodded for her to come in. She approached nervously and swallowed hard when she saw her Watcher.  
  
"Rupert, I want you to meet Elizabeth," Emma said, a smile on her face.  
  
Giles stood politely and turned. "Nice to meet-"  
  
Buffy stared up at him nervously, her heart pounding in her throat.  
  
"You," he finished softly, staring at his Slayer.  
  
He felt his heart begin to beat rapidly, his mouth going completely dry.  
  
Emma and Daniel watched on in amusement. They were both suckers for a good romance.  
  
"Buffy," he whispered, his voice barely audible.  
  
She couldn't restrain herself any longer. Without any reservation, she flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. He nearly fell over from the impact of Buffy flinging herself at him.  
  
He held on to her just as tightly, lifting her up and holding her easily.  
  
"God I missed you," she whispered into his shoulder.  
  
He put her down but didn't let her go.  
  
"What on earth are you doing here? How did you.I mean, when did you." he trailed off, not even able to think clearly with her in the room.  
  
She giggled a little and hugged him again.  
  
"I had to see you. So.I booked a ticket and.voila. Buffy in England," she said.  
  
He smiled and brought his hand to her cheek as he had done the first time he had seen her after she had been brought back.  
  
"It's so very good to see you," he said.  
  
She grinned and buried her face in his shirt, taking in his scent. She had missed the smell of him, that mixture of books and his cologne. She had missed everything about him.  
  
He looked up suddenly to see Daniel and Emma with wide grins on their faces.  
  
"Did you two know about this?" he asked accusingly, still smiling.  
  
Daniel held up a hand to keep the peace between them. "I had no idea Rupert. I told you I heard knocking, but she was knocking on your door, not mine. When I realised who she was.well, Emma and I love surprises."  
  
Giles smiled, knowing both of them extremely well.  
  
"You uh.you won't be offended if I take a raincheck on dinner will you?" Giles asked.  
  
Emma grinned and shook her head. "Are you kidding me? I'd be insane to ask you to stay."  
  
Giles went a little bit red. What little information he had given them about Buffy had been enough for them to make their own conclusions. And, after their little display only a moment ago, he wouldn't be surprised if they started making wedding plans for the two of them.  
  
Buffy grinned and smiled apologetically at Emma and Daniel.  
  
"Sorry. I really hadn't bagged on him being busy tonight."  
  
Daniel waved his hand to stop her from apologising. "Trust us, it's fine. Tell us when you two have a free moment, we'll have tea. I'd really like to get to know the girl who seems to have Rupert completely besotted."  
  
Giles glared at Daniel for his incredibly forward manner. He looked towards Buffy, expecting to see a horrified look on her face. He found only an amused grin there. He shrugged, not wanting to question it.  
  
He walked Buffy quickly to the door, not wanting Daniel or Emma to embarrass either of them any further. Daniel shut the door and grinned at his wife.  
  
"No wonder he's so smitten," Daniel said. "She's nearly as gorgeous as you are."  
  
Emma smiled at his words and leaned into his embrace. "Sweet-talker. I didn't realise she was so."  
  
"Young?" he offered.  
  
Emma nodded. "But, she looked.old for her age."  
  
Daniel nodded, remembering the conversations he had had with Rupert about the young girl. "Rupert said she'd been through a lot of awful stuff. I think she was in a coma for three months or something. He thought she was dead."  
  
Emma frowned and hugged her husband tightly, not wanting to imagine what life would be like without him. "Perhaps it was just the wake up call he needed." 


	5. Chapter Five

STANDING: CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Giles opened up the door to his apartment, ushering Buffy in. She looked around and saw that he was completely unpacked, his apartment as clean as the one in Sunnydale had always been.  
  
Giles suddenly felt extremely nervous, something he hadn't felt since the flight back to Sunnydale after Willow had told him about Buffy being back.  
  
He turned to see her looking at him. She blushed slightly at being caught out. He smiled and sat down on the sofa, patting the space next to him.  
  
She sat down and curled up, leaning her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, bringing her closer.  
  
"I still can't believe you're here," he whispered into her hair.  
  
She smiled and nestled in closer to him.  
  
"Neither can I. I was so afraid I'd get lost. I swear, I wrote down your address at least five times so I wouldn't lose it."  
  
She pulled up the leg of her pants and he saw she had written his address on the inside of her ankle. He smiled at her and brushed her hair off her face.  
  
"You could have called me to say you were coming. What if I had have been away?" he asked.  
  
She grimaced and looked up at him. "Well, unless I have a really good imagination, you're not away, so I don't have to worry about that."  
  
He grinned and sighed happily. "I've missed you so much," he confessed. "I almost hopped on a plane back so many times. I hated how I'd left things between us."  
  
Buffy smiled and shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it.you did the right thing. I was being a complete bitch to you Giles."  
  
He went to protest on her behalf but Buffy held her fingers to his lips. "I was. Don't defend me to me, okay?"  
  
He smiled and nodded, gently kissing her fingertips.  
  
She felt her heart skip a beat at his gentle touch.  
  
"I missed you so much," she said. "But.I knew that I could only ask you to come back if my life was sorted out. So.I sorted it out. I got a job. And, uh.Dawn and I are getting on really well. Uh.things are still a bit.fragile with the gang, but.things are getting better. Some days are better than others, but.I'm dealing."  
  
He smiled, thankful that she was getting back on track. He had worried that she would spiral out of control once he had left, but obviously, his Slayer had surprised him once more.  
  
"And patrolling?" he asked. "How's that going?"  
  
She shrugged. "Same old, same old. Killing vamps and beheading demons. Much fun," she said sarcastically. "It's alright. Spike helps out some nights. He patrols alone on Friday nights cos I have to work. I tried to get out of it, but Phil, the manager at the Bronze, said that the only way to get out of work on Friday nights would be to quit, so.Spike volunteered."  
  
Giles tensed up at the mention of the blonde vampire. As much as he had faith in his Slayer to be cautious where the vampire was concerned, Giles did have to admit that the British vampire did have a certain charm to him. He wondered exactly how close Buffy and Spike had become whilst he had been away.  
  
"And Spike? How's he doing?"  
  
Buffy smiled and laughed a little. "He's good. Like, really good. Don't ask me how, but we got him to the beach the other day. I was pretty amazed when he agreed to come."  
  
Giles began panicking a little at the smile on his Slayer's face when she spoke of Spike.  
  
"Ah, and.and you and he." he trailed off, not wanting to even think the words let alone say them.  
  
Buffy looked at him and understanding finally dawned. "You wanna know if.if me and Spike are.together?" she asked.  
  
He nodded, holding his breath.  
  
She raised her eyebrows, wondering if he was jealous or just concerned.  
  
"Well.if he and I were together," she began.  
  
Giles nearly felt his heart completely shatter at what he thought Buffy was about to say.  
  
"Why would I be here?" she finished.  
  
He sighed in relief when he realised that Spike and Buffy had nothing between them. He suddenly put together what she was actually saying.  
  
"And you and Spike have never.been together?" Giles asked, just making sure he wasn't misunderstanding anything.  
  
"Well," Buffy said slowly, wondering if he truly was jealous. "We kinda kissed."  
  
Giles eyes flashed angrily. He tried to calm down. "Oh," he said, with mild interest.  
  
Buffy grinned. She could feel Giles' heart racing beneath his chest, and idly wondered if giving him a heart attack was a good thing or not.  
  
"But that was ages ago. We both kinda got over it," she said.  
  
He nodded, not entirely trusting his voice. "So uh.how long ago was it?"  
  
She grinned and looked up at him. "Bout two and a half years ago," she replied.  
  
He looked a little startled at her confession and then finally realised. Willow's spell. Buffy and Spike's engagement and the consequent mauling of each other in his apartment.  
  
He calmed down considerably until he felt Buffy shift in his arms, bringing her face closer to his. He could feel her breath on his lips and it seemed as though the entire world just stopped.  
  
He leant forward slowly, his lips barely touching hers, letting her back away if she wanted to. He nearly leapt for joy when she leant into him instead of away from him.  
  
He brought his hand up to her face, a little startled to find a tear running down her cheek.  
  
"You're crying," he whispered.  
  
She smiled and kissed him again gently. "They're good tears. Promise."  
  
He smiled and held her tightly in his arms. He chuckled a little as a random thought passed through his mind.  
  
"What?" she asked tiredly, her eyes closed, hr head resting against his chest.  
  
"I was just thinking that I'm going to have to repack everything. I only just finished unpacking everything today," he said, stroking her hair softly.  
  
She smiled and burrowed further into him.  
  
"So you're gonna come home?" she asked.  
  
He nodded and kissed her hair. "How could I not?"  
  
"But what about Daniel and Emma?" she asked, not wanting to be completely selfish.  
  
"Buffy, I've known you for six years. I've known them for maybe three months, most of which I was in Sunnydale for. I'm not about to stay here just for them. Don't get me wrong, I'm rather fond of them both but.I'm in love with you. So.where you go, I go," he said.  
  
She smiled and finally felt completely relaxed in his embrace.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered.  
  
He just leant his head on hers and listened to her breath as she fell asleep in his arms. Maybe leaving had been a good idea after all.  
  
END 


End file.
